TV personality and former pop idol Chiemi Hori, 52, said she has been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer — the most advanced stage of the disease — in an official blog post published Tuesday.
Hori also revealed that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the left side of her neck.
“I’m in a very difficult situation,” wrote Hori, who debuted as a singer in 1982 and became a national sensation after her appearance in the 1983 TV drama “Stewardess Monogatari” (“A Stewardess’s Story”), which portrayed Japan Airline Co. trainee cabin attendants.